In Valhalla, after parting with the strange-looking Putirai, according to the habit of the past three years, Tails walked out of the narrow and desolate courtyard of blood with a book in his hand, and walked directly to the stables accompanied by his attendants. Fastest updates

Waiya followed behind him with a helpless expression, and Rolf seemed to be used to this scene, just quietly following the prince's footsteps.

Behind them were a handful of Star Soldiers, most of them old men recruited from the Broken Dragon Fortress and fought with the prince all the way, including veteran Jenard and recruit Willow, who was no longer a recruit.

And further out, the personal guards and palace guards of the Grand Duke of Longxiao City passed the news back and forth as if they were facing a great enemy, and from time to time a group of soldiers set off to open the way, and Lord Justin, who was the leader, had a dark face and a tense expression, but he still carried out his obligations meticulously.

After all, this was the order of the Grand Duchess.

"For the sake of safety, I sincerely recommend that you postpone your departure from the palace for a few days, at least until the day of the Grand Duke's hearing is over," Huaiya seemed to be unable to stand the second prince's leisurely steps: "At that time, the White Blade Guards ...... I mean, the Grand Duke's Guard has enough people to protect your travels, rather than focusing most of your energy on the Hall of Heroes, as it is now. ”

The attendant of Huaiya glanced at the surrounding Northland soldiers, who were at least half less manned than the usual prince's travels: many of the vassals of Longxiao City were visiting around the time of the Zhengji Day, and most of the Grand Duke's personal guards in Longxiao City, whether it was the remaining former white-bladed guards or the elite soldiers newly trained by the Meteorite in the past few years, were all transferred to the female archduke's side.

Tails pulled out the brown book under his arm, flicked the words "The Beginning and End of the Knights of the Human Light" on the cover, and whistled a whistle that Rolf had taught him.

Waiacasso, in the six years that Exeter served the prince, he had only returned to the country twice, and each time he returned, he became much more mature, but he was as serious and "overexerted" as ever, and the strings that were always tight on his body never relaxed.

That's not going to work.

Especially...... Facing such an opponent.

Tails kept a smile and said silently in his heart.

I only heard the prince say lightly: "Assassins and other security issues, the people of the Northland are not idiots, even children who have been burned are afraid of fire, let alone a country that has died a king." ”

Former White Blade Guard, Lord Justin, who was walking on the side, unabashedly snorted, muttering something in his mouth, which seemed to sound to Tails, who had good hearing, "The people of the stars are embarrassed to say so".

Tails pretended not to hear and shrugged his shoulders: "Besides, it is already a miserable thing to be under house arrest in an enemy city like a prison, but don't deprive me of the little fun I have left." ”

"Miserable, I see that you are enjoying your current 'prison' life," Wya's eyes rolled, and he retorted with a rare glance as he knew the prince well, "Besides, no prisoner has ever had such a good relationship with the 'warden' that she would promise you the freedom to choose your 'free' time each month." ”

"Don't say it so simply, go out of the palace to play chess,......" Tails smiled, and he waved his hand to Huaiya without looking back: "That's the pitiful right that I endured humiliation and worked so hard to win from the master of Longxiao City and the Count of Lisbane." ”

Endure humiliation and hardship?

Wya's face suddenly became as dark as Lord Justin next to him.

Does it refer to the countless times you dragged the female Grand Duke to skip class, causing the chickens and dogs to jump in Valhalla?

"Do you really want to do it today?" The innate character made Huaiya hold back the ** who continued to complain, and the attendant said with a straight face: "If you really can't do it, stay in the palace and play chess, anyway, you are playing with yourself." ”

Under the watchful eye of King Chaman, in the treacherous atmosphere of Longxiao City, in front of His Royal Highness the Prince's identity as a thousand burdens, except for deliberately looking for trouble and ulterior motives, which Exeter nobleman would dare to sit at the opposite table and play chess with the sole heir of the Star Kingdom?

"It's not about playing chess, it's about 'letting the wind go', Whya," Tails kept at his feet, the book in his hand slowly tapping his left palm, "I don't expect people like you who can freely enter and leave Longxiao City to understand the prisoner's own feelings. ”

Wyay shook her head helplessly, just about to speak again.

"Alright, Waiya, all right, let's say a few words," Tails waved his index finger back, ending the conversation lightly, "Learn from Midira next to you, he never talks much." ”

Waiya frowned, his suspicious gaze turning back and forth on the body of the Wind Ghost, Midila Rolf.

Sure enough, Rolf, who was mute, didn't say a word, and stretched out a defiant middle finger to Wyay with an expressionless face.

"I can't deny that," Waiya sighed bitterly, looking down and rubbing his forehead, "I hate you, Your Highness. ”

Tails whistled.

At this moment, a young and exaggerated female voice sounded overhead:

"Oh, little Tails, are you going out of the palace again?"

Several of the new Grand Duke's guards nervously raised their crossbow arrows upwards, but the others were so accustomed to it that Wyay and Rolf rolled their eyes almost at the same time.

With a plop, a short figure tightly wrapped in a cloak jumped down from the tree on the side, followed with one hand on his waist, and stretched out a thumbs up with the other: "Don't worry, with me, he will definitely not have a safety problem!"

"Why do you always like to lie on the branches, Miss Edda?" asked Lady Whiter, dissatisfied, the Cloaked Lady, who was supposed to be the Prince's first bodyguard.

"With such a big sun, of course you have to find shade!"

Wya's head looked up suspiciously, wondering what "shade" and "branches" had in common.

"I'm sorry, Edda, I'm just going to play chess in the spear district. Tails sighed and replied angrily, "I'm not going to hunt rabbit meat on the outskirts of the city." ”

"Huh?"

Eda walked backwards in front of him with her hands on her pillow, and the cloak covering the upper half of her face could not hide the disappointment in her voice: "Can't you take two more steps?"

"From Valhalla to the outskirts of the city, are you talking about the dragon's 'two steps'?"

Eda said pitifully, "The food in Valhalla is always cold when it is served, don't you feel ...... Boy, think about it, hot rabbit meat wow!"

"That's for your safety......"

"Speaking of safety," Eda clenched his fists and sighed bitterly, "As your bodyguard before and after the saddle, I fought bloodily and bruised all over my body to save you from the hands of the enemy, and finally saved the entire Longxiao City...... You don't even ...... this little request."

"Are you talking about a young lady who rushed to Valhalla six years ago with a foul mouth, only to find that it was all over, and asked me for money to pay the bills with a happy face, so that I could prove that I was not a certain lady who burgled and stole chickens?" replied the prince without any waves.

In the next second, Tails spun his foot and skillfully tilted his head, just the right amount to dodge the annoyed Elf Lady, and avoid her fingers poking her feet on tiptoe.

"Eh, eh, eh, you actually flashed again!" the young lady in the cloak froze in place, raised her right index finger, and said tremblingly:

"Why are you so skilled?"

Why is it ...... So skilled?

Listening to this line, which seemed to have been heard somewhere, Tails let out a breath, shook his head, shook off a faint fragment of memory, and continued walking.

Leaving Edda helpless ("Where is that lovely, unavoidable little Tails from my death?") and the countless soldiers and guards who ignored her as they walked forward: Wya's sympathetic gaze was echoed, and Rolf simply blew a low-pitched, quivering whistle to set off her mood at the moment.

The prince recalled the peculiar fluctuations that had gathered on the soles of his feet and the sides of his neck, feeling the faint fatigue in his tendons, and frowned.

His expression grimaced as he remembered the words of the man with the black sword on a bloody night long ago.

[This is the power of the curse...... You can only boost it with special methods ......]

Sure enough, it's been six years......

What the hell is this......

There's not an inch of it.

Tails walked into the stables on the side of Valhalla and kicked his boots on a stool to hide his purpose of loosening his tendons.

The prince came down to the stall with which he was familiar on both sides, and a sturdy black horse put its head out of the fence and stretched its nose out of him affectionately.

"Have you treated her well?" said Tails, smiling, scratching the black horse's chin, looking at her teeth, to the groom beside him:

"You know, Jenny likes to be clean. ”

Valhalla's full-time groom patted his chest proudly, promising the prince that his mount had never been so healthy.

Prince Jenny's exclusive mount was brought to Longxiao City by the envoys of the Kingdom of Stars three years ago, and it is said that she is a good girl carefully selected from thousands of mounts, a hybrid of the Northland War Horse and the Plains Horse, and has inherited her mother's temper and father's foot strength, and is not shy about many riders who try to submit her.

Surprisingly, Tails, who had never had a talent for horseback riding, got along well with Jenny, which even Viscount Connie, who led the mission at the time, was amazed.

Tails smiled softly, tucked the book into the bag on his saddle, and untied Jenny's reins as Wyay and the other soldiers began to search for their mounts.

Right now.

"Dear Prince Tails, good day. ”

A deep and peaceful female voice came from outside the stable: "As a fifty-six-year-old elder, it is necessary for me to remind you to pay attention to the safety of this trip. ”

The soldiers and guards got out of the way and bowed to the visitors, and the stars frowned in unison.

Tails closed his mouth open with a smile and turned his back to the new lady and sighed.

"Good day, Lady Jinx," he said, not looking back, as he prepared for his departure, "I thought you ought to stay with the Grand Duchess for the moment, and help her to present herself to the vassals and nobles with dignity and grace." ”

Jinx, one of the personal female officers next to the Grand Duke: a noble woman in her fifties who looked like she was in her thirties, she was dressed simply, her hair accessories were simple, her manners were modest, and she always had a face more serious than that of Huaiya, but she was impeccable in language and etiquette.

It is said that she was the widow of the late King Nunn's right-hand man, and was invited into Valhalla by the regent of Lisbane six years ago to take care of the Grand Duchess and teach her the proper manners.

By the way: she was also one of the reasons why Tails skipped class for the first time with a female archduke.

Ms. Jinx still spoke in that voice that made people nervous unconsciously, "In addition, I have brought the words of several other adults. ”

"I suggest you listen carefully, even if you're from the South. ”

Hearing this, Tails reluctantly stopped what he was doing, turned around and bowed to her.

Lady Jinx nodded in satisfaction, lifted her neck at an angle comparable to a swan's neck, and cleared her throat.

"Her Excellency the Grand Duchess of Longxiao City has asked me to remind you that during the time she has been in power," the lady said proudly, "those new books in the palace ......"

"Yes, Miss Jinx," Tails scratched his ears with a headache, "please return to Her Excellency the Grand Duchess, and I will wait until she returns to open the gift." ”

Lady Jinx's eyes narrowed, her expression unchanged, but Tails knew she was unhappy with the prince's interruption.

But after a few minutes, the lady spoke again.

"The Count of Lisbane has also asked me to remind you that when he accompanies the Grand Duchess in the regency," the female officer lowered her posture a little this time, but still looked directly into Tails' eyes: "For your safety and the reputation of Longxiao City, please obey the royal decree of the king......"

"Yes, Lady Jinx," Tails caressed Jeanne's horse's head, soothing her agitation at her displeasure with her master's delay in untying her, "please thank the Lord Count of Lisbane, who is busy with the Regent and has taken the time to care for me, and tell him that I will not run out of the axe and spear districts." ”

Jinx frowned slightly.

"Last ......"

"Captain Sereni Collet has asked me to remind you that because Listening to Politics Day is particularly special, please be sure to cooperate with Lord Justin and the Guards when you go out," the lady's voice softened, but still made people nervous, "Also, because of your bad record of returning after eight o'clock two months ago......"

"This time, as soon as you return past six o'clock in the evening, he is ready to lock the gates and advises you to spend the night at the gates. ”

Tails frowned, took a deep breath, and exhaled a long breath.

He pushed off the fence, stepped on the stool, and saddled his horse.

"Yes, Lady Jinx," the prince muttered for a few seconds as he faced the serious lady, "trouble you again, to Niko...... Say ...... to that dead face"

The Jinx lady raised an eyebrow.

Tails sighed and said seriously:

"Let him die sooner. ”

The next moment, Tails flicked the reins of the horse without hesitation, and in the loud neighing of Jenny, the horse rode out!

Without looking back, the prince rushed past the female officer, followed by his retinue and soldiers, including the helpless Wya, the calm Rolf, and the sulky Edda.

He shook the reins of his horse and rode out of the square in front of Valhalla, heading towards the first city gate.

The journey from Valhalla to the Spear District did not take much time, especially with the cooperation of the Grand Duke's guards and patrols, the streets and roads were unobstructed.

In the words he had just teased Waiya, there was one thing he wasn't lying: it was Tails earned, a hard-won opportunity to play chess in the spear field not far from Valhalla.

Tails, who was jolting on the horse, controlled the ups and downs of his body, and watched Jenny's ears and her cheerful steps from behind, curling the corners of his mouth.

In the past six years, at least his riding skills have improved by leaps and bounds, and Exeter may be a little inferior in culture to the special Xingchen, but when it comes to the importance of military skills, even the rudeest and lowliest Northland nobles have to throw off their peers in Xingchen.

Tails remembers his outdoor lesson with the Grand Duchess (as it is politely called), when Nicollet, who was in charge of the "class", discovered that his only two students, Tails, were not good at riding because of their allergies to horses, and the Grand Duke resisted getting on the horse because of fear......

The expressionless Meteorite directly asked for the thick ropes, tied them firmly to the horses, and then lit the tails of the horses.

Once a day for two hours.

Ten days later, both he and the girl became equestrian "masters", or at least proficient, in vomiting and dizziness.

With this in mind, Nicolas untied the rope and began to leisurely correct their riding posture and technique, introducing the harness.

And then it's time to take up arms...... Then there's the hunting on horseback......

Later, a former White-Bladed Guard privately told Tails that multiplying the duration and frequency by two, and then turning the torches that lit the horse's tail into a honeycomb, was the standard riding training of the White-Bladed Guards.

Thinking of this, the prince couldn't help but sigh.

In the next second, Tails tugged at the reins in his hand, with a slight force, while sitting deep back, his legs gently sliding back into a relaxed position.

The clever Jenny immediately began to slow down, and Tails, who confirmed this, also released the reins in time to show encouragement, soothing the beautiful girl who was excited, passionate, and eager to vent her disgruntled snort.

Jenny's horse's hooves were heavily focused, and after a few seconds, she stopped in front of their destination.

Waiya and Lord Justin's mounts also stopped.

Tails, while admiring the triumphant Jenny with strokes and shouts, had recently contracted a bad habit of attracting the attention of her master with disgruntled coquettishness, and lamented that horses were no less difficult to deal with than humans, and he remembered the hundreds of cavalry in the Black Sand Collar, and God knows how much time and effort it would take to train a skilled galloping cavalryman.

Tails stepped off the stirrup, handed the reins to Jenard in the back, and looked up at a card room in the spear section of his destination.

I heard that this was originally a well-decorated aristocratic inn, until the owner who ran it alone was killed by robbers in the catastrophe that swept through Longxiao City six years ago, and one of his fellow Comas villagers paid for the purchase of this place, and converted it into an entertainment room for the nobles' recreation according to the original decoration, and I heard that the business was not bad.

Of course, the word "good business" has nothing to do with it today, since three years ago, the Prince of the Stars chose this place as the fixed point of his monthly trip, this chess and card room has to accept the monthly clearance, waiting for the fate of the prince, but obviously this is not a bad thing, because after that, its business has risen instead of falling, and everyone is rushing to see the place where the mysterious prince who has lived in the palace for a long time "fought".

Tails stepped into the card room amid the flattery of his boss: hundreds of Grand Duke's guards and patrols had already searched the place thoroughly and quarantined the adjacent area.

The prince looked at the empty hall and sighed.

He slowly ascended the steps to the box on the second floor, where the guards, from Justin to Wyay and Rolf, followed inseparably closely.

Led by the boss, Tails expertly stepped through a large gate to the largest box, a semi-open-air box, with a terrace facing the Spear District street below, and the prince's chess seat on the edge of the terrace, from which he could enjoy the view of the street.

Through the terrace, Tails was not surprised to see countless guards and patrols guarding the street to the vital points of the nearby buildings, at least two hundred people, bows and crossbows, patrolling regularly, guarding against possible uninvited guests, almost all of them staring closely at themselves on the terrace.

With this kind of formation and atmosphere, coupled with martial law, even if the number of people is reduced by half, it is unlikely that the tragedy of six years ago will happen again.

Once bitten by a snake......

The prince shrugged, sat down in his seat, and put down his book.

He shifted his gaze to the chessboard and chess pieces in front of him, starting from the Kingdom of Allenbia, which had been circulating in the Western Continent for nearly a hundred years but was still hot, and the seat opposite the one that was supposed to be the opponent was empty.

"Alright," Tails said to Waiya and Justin, who were still checking their surroundings relentlessly, as he looked at the red king standing up on the chessboard, and looked at the familiar and unfamiliar black and red pieces in the chess box with a little emotion, "You can go out, anyway, the door is not closed, there is a terrace, and you are the same outside the door and on the street." ”

"As before, I want to be on my own. ”

Behind Waiya, Rolf nodded slightly, and after putting down a plate of checked food and water, he grabbed the boss who was still about to curry favor and went to the first floor, and Eda was probably nowhere to be found on the roof.

"Prince Tails," Lord Justin, the former Whiteblade Guard, said cautiously, "Old rule, three hours, if you need any ......"

The prince let out a breath: "I will let you know as soon as possible." ”

Lord Justin nodded, glanced at Waiya, and walked to the door ten meters behind Tails, guarding the entrance and exit, while staring at the prince who was reading and playing chess at the same time.

"Every time. Tails shook his head and smiled softly, continued to take the pieces from the chess box, and began to place them on the board one by one.

Silence had returned to the box and the neighborhood, save for the occasional footsteps of the soldiers, and the faint whisper of Wya's whispering of Rolf behind her.

Guards, Slings, Shield Warriors, Pawns......

Just as Tails had set up the penultimate piece and was about to get the last piece.

Two slender and fair-skinned, beautifully nailed fingers suddenly appeared.

His fingers fell from the sky, grabbed the black king, and gently placed it in Tails' square, setting it up, straightening it, and even aligning it with the grid, turning the face to the direction perpendicular to the red square.

Meticulous and incomparably fine.

"Thank you. ”

Tails raised an eyebrow, and he looked up, nodding lightly at the sudden appearance of the uninvited guest.

The prince's long-lost friend and magician, Ashidasakn sat elegantly and quietly in the seat opposite, staring at the chess pieces on the chessboard, the corners of his mouth slightly curled.

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